As if being a mom wasn’t enough work on it’s own, YOU ambitious military spouse, are also running a business and dealing with a deployment. You are SUPER MOM.

But some days, I bet it doesn’t feel that way. You might feel stretched too thin or feel conflicted between your work and spending time with your children. Or maybe you have a deployment coming up and you’re wondering how in the world you’re going to balance it all.

On one hand, your business is your creative outlet, it’s how you generate extra income for your family, it’s what gives you great fulfillment and keeps you busy while your husband is away. On the other hand, your business, while important, becomes more and more stressful as you try to meet the demands of being Mom and handling EVERYTHING else while Dad is away.

So how does one handle it all?

Is it even possible? YES, you can sustain working from home, being a mom and conquering deployment. Follow these guidelines and you’ll be able to rock that SUPER MOM cape with confidence, feel renewed in your business, and make time for your family.

Make a Schedule

The first thing you need to do to ensure your work doesn’t become one more giant stressor is to make a weekly schedule. You need to set aside time each week to work on your business.

Whether that be two hours each day while your children nap, or if they are older, while they are at school, another two hours at night after they go to bed, or rising an hour early to knock out a few things before they wake up.

I recommend making a weekly calendar with Monday-Sunday all mapped out, hour by hour. Keep this calendar where you can see it. That way you can schedule in play dates or time with friends (which are MUST DO ‘s during deployment).

Remember to be flexible if baby wakes up from a nap an hour early, don’t worry about it. Make a schedule, but know that things will happen, unexpected events will occur that may require you to shift your schedule around.

It’s just the reality of deployment and being a Mom. But having your time mapped out each week will help you stay sane for when those unexpected events occ. You can rest assured knowing you’ve blocked off more time later in the week. Build your business one day at a time.

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Watch Your YES’s

If you’re going to work from home, you’re going to need to watch what you say YES to, in terms of extra activities and volunteering. During deployment, you’ll hear the key to thriving is staying busy.

This is true, but since you’re also trying to find time to work, you’ll need to be very careful what other activities you say YES to. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin.

You absolutely need to make sure you have activities scheduled outside of your work schedule, but just make sure they are the “Right Yes’s.” Make sure you aren’t saying YES to everything that pops up. The “Right YES’s” are those that leave you feeling refreshed, the time you spend helping others, and the activities that align with your family priorities.

To find out if you’re saying the “Right YES”, make a list of all of your top five priorities during deployment. If something comes up and you’re not sure if you should say YES or not, go back to your list.

If saying YES, aligns with one of those elements, then you should absolutely add it to the scheduled. But, if it doesn’t, then it’s okay to say NO. Practice saying NO to what doesn’t make your heart sing, and saying YES to what matters most.

Make Childcare a Priority

Inevitably, you’re going to do need more time to work on a project than naptime and after bedtime can sustain. You need to make sure you have at least 2-3 babysitters you can call on.

Think about hiring a reoccurring babysitter for extra help during the week. Even if it’s just Mondays from 9a-12pm, you know you at least have 3 hours to work, get the groceries kid free, sneak a work-out in or go to a doctor’s appointment.

Talk with your spouse about a monthly childcare budget so that you can feel good about scheduling some help throughout the month. You could also swap with another Mom every other week if paying for a sitter is not in your budget.

If you need help finding a sitter, ask the local Facebook groups for who they recommend or put up a posting on Care.com.

Schedule Time for Self Care

In addition to having babysitters on call, you need to schedule time for you. Whether this be one a month or twice a week, focusing on self care is crucial to ensuring you can be at your best for your children.

Take a yoga class, go for a long walk, get a pedicure or go see a movie with a friend. Get out of the house for a few hours to do whatever it is you need to do, so that you can go back to being 100% Mom again. Here are 3 Genius Self Care Tips for Exhausted Moms.

Don’t be a Solopreneur

If you’re working from home, the days and the nights can get very lonely when your spouse is deployed. Find a community online or a local group where you can interact on a daily basis to get the encouragement you need to keep building your business.

Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs or work-at-home parents that understand what you’re experiencing.

Know that you are not alone as you do your best to balance working from home, being a Mom and conquering deployment. You are amazing. You can do this! A huge thank you to Lauren for letting me share these tips with you to today.

If you need help figuring out how to make it all work, check out my out my free video training series on how to create your own PCS proof business. I’ll help you pick the right business idea, show you the four money makers that will allow you the freedom to work from anywhere and help you overcome the six biggest fears of launching your own business.

Kayla Roof is a business advisor for ambitious military spouses and the creator of The Work from Anywhere Business Academy™. Since 2005, Kayla Roof, MBA, has been helping companies grow their business with the power of traditional media, the Internet and Social Media. In 2012, she started her own marketing firm and quickly built that business into a successful agency handling over 1 million in advertising annually. In 2014, she launched TheNavyMom.com and turned her blog into a local television show in Jacksonville, Florida, focused on helping military spouses get dialed into their new city. Proud military spouse, mom of two boys, and flourishing entrepreneur, Kayla currently resides in California where she focuses on helping other military spouses create and power up their own businesses. You can access her free training at KaylaRoof.com.

About Lauren Tamm

I'm Lauren, a military spouse and licensed Language of Listening® parent coach. I write about my crazy parenting adventures, discovering happiness in motherhood and navigating the ups and downs of military life. I spend my days re-heating coffee while chasing my kids around the house. Hang around for a bit and join the fun!

Reader Interactions

1 Comment

Every mom deserves to be called a super mom. It is an important thing to know how an entrepreneur mom can manage everything. From working and taking care of her family. They deserve to be commended for a job well done.

Here’s what military families are saying about Military Wife and Mom…

I already found useful tips to help my spouse. I feel connected even though Navy life keeps us from spending time together before deployment arrives. Great course!”

Sarah Rohrer

The encouragement and the helpful reminders are invaluable.

Melinda Walker

I’m more confident. I now have tools in my belt to work through things, instead of feeling helpless. I loved the videos…hearing Lauren’s side of it and her personal experience using the tools she gave us. THANK YOU! Lauren, you have put my mind at ease to know that there are tools out there and ways to get through this!